Glove boxes are a common component of vehicles and are most often designed with a door that is contoured to mount flush with an instrument panel when the door is in a closed position. Behind the door is a storage compartment for holding personal items, for example, maps, flashlights, and vehicle manuals. Down stops which limit displacement of the glove box when opened are known in the art and are typically positioned at least partially within the storage compartment or in an area visible by occupants of the vehicle. Positioning the down stops even partially within the storage compartment, however, limits the storage space provided within the storage compartment. Even more, positioning the down stops so as to eliminate their visibility by the vehicle occupants is desired and lends to a sense of higher quality craftsmanship and a preferred overall look of the vehicle and instrument panel.
In addition to being well positioned, the down stops should also allow for easy insertion and removal of the glove box during manufacturing or at any point in time, for maintenance or the like, if the need were to arise. Preferably, insertion and removal could be made without the need for tools or the removal of additional parts.
This document relates to a glove box supported by an instrument panel having down stops that are external of the storage compartment and not visible to the vehicle occupants. Advantageously, this allows for the entirety of the storage compartment to be used for storage by occupants of the vehicle. Also, the down stops are positioned outside of the line of sight of the occupants of the vehicle. Doing so provides an improved overall look of the vehicle and instrument panel, and heightens the sense of quality of craftsmanship. Even more, the down stops are made of a resilient material which allows for deflection to accommodate installation and removal of the glove box without the need for tools or additional parts.